The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-12-27
THE BLIZZARD.
Sad Stories of Suffering in the
West.
SETTLERS STARVING. AND FREEZING


DISTANCE from the railroad of new and more
unprotected homesteads and settlers, the facts
cannot be known for several days. In the re-
Gently organized county of Perkins, the death
| of man and boy is reported. They were
attempting to make their rancho, twenty miles
from Ogallala, when the storm overpOwered
them. Both were frozen to death. Another
man, named John Grant, who had been on
railroad construction work on the Black Hills
| extension OF the Burlington and Missouri
| River road, was found dead mile out from
camp. On the Arkansas line, no dead has
| been discovered, although suffering is reported
as very severe.
DRIVER AND TEAM FROZEN,
CHICAGO, Ill.,, December pa Daily News
| special from Topeka, Kan, says that Mr.. j..
Il. Hazletine, a banker of johnson City, on
the frontier, is in the city. He reports that
farmer named l.. G. Clark, living near Golden,
Grant county, left his family at home Monday
to go to Hartland, the nearest railroad point,
for the purpose of getting coal, his family be-
ing entirely without fuel. He left Hartland
late Monday evening with his coal and next
morning was found about six miles from home
lying by the side of his horses frozen stiff.
The animals were also frozen and all OF the
bodies partly covered by snow. Clark's wife
and three children had, in the meantime,
nearly persisted and had only saved themselves
from death by leaving the shell of a house and
taking refuge from the blizzard in a cave.
Two deaths are reported from Greedy county,
situated on the Colorado line. A
brother and sister named Robert and
Sarah Hoseapfel, who lived on
claim in the unsettled portion of the county,
found themselves without fuel Sunday even
ing they tore down small shed to burn the
lumber, and that night all but small amount,
which they had themselves burned, was stolen
from them. Early in the morning the young
n 10 In ypyx1 Gft oh cGNrp
miles distant, and succeeded in getting two
hundred pounds of coal late in the afternoon.
Being obliged to travel against the furious
wind then blowing, he did not reach home
until nearly midnight. His limbs were then
numb and he was so exhausted that it was
with great difficulty he gained admission to
the house. He
FOUND HIS SISTER IN BED INsENsIDLE
and almost stiff. She had been without fire
all day and the poorly built house afforded
her little protection. Although the young
man was almost frozen himself, lie tried to re-
vive his sister, but to no avail. The other
death reported from Greedy county is that of
a farmer, sixty years Old, whose name cannot
be learned. He lived alone and was not with
out fuel, but without food Being recent
settler in the country, he had no acquaintance.
A widow named Reilly, and her two, chill
dren, persisted in the storm Monday night,
near Dighton, in Lane county. They were
without fuel and the storm came so suddenly
upon them that they were unable
to get it, The woman's oldest
son started out in the storm to get
coal. He was overcome by the intense cold,
but fortunately wandered to the house of a
neighbor. He was unable to speak and his
arms, feet and ears were frozen. BY strenuous
efforts his leg was saved, although he will
probably loose his feet.
There are also reports OF great suffering in
Clark county, on the Indian Territory line. A
family of four were travelling over land and
being but ten miles from home and several
miles from any other house, determined to
reach homo that night in spite of the terrible
storm. The horses were overcome and the
family were obliged to abandon the horses and
wagon and walk miles to the nearest house.
Two-YEAR-oLD CHILD FROZE TO DEATH
in its fathers arms before shelter was reached
The others reached the house badly frozen.
The condition Of the people in western and
southwestern Kansas is very bad This part
OF the state has been only recently settled, and
some of the counties are still unorganIzed-
nearly all the people settled on government
claims and were without money, depending
entirely on the crop to be raised this iall. The
crops proved total failure because of the
drought, leaving the people destitute AS a
general thing the people live in rudely built
huts, which afford very little protection.
A Daily News special from Topeka, Kansas,
says: "The situation in western Kansas has
greatly improved during the past twenty-four
hours. Tho weather has moderated and tho
supply of coal is being increased Twenty car
Topeka and Santa Fe company's mines in Col
orado. which will be distributed at once to
towns most in need of fnel. This. it is believed,
will supply the destitute localities for one
week, and railroad officials think that by that
time they will be able TO supply the demand.
Every effort is being made by the company to
get the coal from the mines.
THE WORST EVER ::NOwS.
WICHITA, Kan, December 22.-Additional
and general details Of the results of the recent
billiards were received today, which prove it
to have been the worst ever known in the
state. The number of deaths by freezing and
starvation is believed 10 be at least sixty. ~
GALVESTON, Texas December 22.-Freezing
weather prevailed here all day, and the city is
covered with coat of ice. The freezing line
extends beyond the Rio Grande somed istance
into Mexico. Dispatches to the signal officer
here show that very cold weather prevails
throughout the cattle districts of Texas. The
Thermometer at Fort Elliott, in the Pan Han
die, registered six degrees above zero at eleven
O'Clock this morning. and weather of the same
degree of cold prevailed at Fort Davis, 100
miles southeast of Ell Paso. The cattle coun-
try lies between these points.
While there have undoubtedly been
isolated cases of death from exposure, and in
stances of individual suffering from scarcity
of provisions or coal, there is no doubt that
the condition of affairs have been greatly ex-
| aggerated and misrepresented by irresponsible
persons.
Clark county, Kansas, which has been repre-
sentod as DclIg the region WileIo tue most SUI
ferjng prevails, sends an emphatic denial of
the stories to the Times tonight through A. l..
Cowden, postmaster at Ashland, the county
seat Mr.. Cowden says that the storm waned
| Tuesday. While there was a strong wind only
four inches of snow fell and the thermometer
| did not so below zero.
GARDEN CITY, Kas., December 22.-In con-
versation with representative of eleven coun-
| ties of southwest Kansas, the Sentinel today
! learned that in those counties there has been
| no more suffering from the cold snap than is
usually experienced by people who are pro-
| vided against such emergencies by clothing,
! food and fuel.
WICHITA. Kansas, December 20.-Snow
commenced falling here yesterday morning
and has come down steadily ever since. Later
| in the day a blizzard set in from the north and
has hourly increased in violence. Adviees are
to the effect that the blizzard is general over
| the west, and that it has caught the country
without any adequate supply of coal II Is
known that railroad companies have from some
cause failed to supply the demand on the
| plains. There is great fear that much suner-
| ing and distress will result from this sudden
| change of weather as 1t Is certain that entire
| districts are almost entirely without fuel.
Sr. PAUL, Mimi, December 20.--The tirst